Maurice Ravel Biography

General characteristics of the work of Maurice Ravel lectures on musical literature Musike. His creative biography began at the time of the heyday of impressionism, and continued after the first world war, when impressionism has exhausted itself, giving way to new artistic movements. The war became the line that distinguished Ravel’s creative path for two periods: I - from when the “ancient menuet” was published, the first published composition of the software; II - “3 songs of Don Quixote”, the last work of the composer.

At the Paris Conservatory, where Ravel entered at the summer, he went through a strict school of musical professionalism. His composition teacher was Gabriel Fore. Even then, the independence of Ravel’s artistic tastes was manifested. He was interested in the “non-traditional” works of Eric Sati, the “afternoon rest of the faun” and the “Nokturna” Debussy Rael made their piano transfers, the works of Rimsky-Korsakov with Russian music Rael first met during the World Exhibition, which opened in the year of his entry to the conservatory.

Ravel studied classical French philosophy, Denis Didro's works “Paradox about the actor”, Ronsar’s poetry and Maro Poets Franz. Renaissance admired the work of Franz. Therefore, Ravel’s artistic tastes were formed under the influence of various, sometimes opposite factors. Rael found his like -minded people in a circle of young poets, artists, musicians who called themselves as a joke “Apashi” “tramps”, “tramps”.

The meetings of the Apashi were dedicated mainly to playing music. In addition, Ravel visited the artistic salon of the Polish family of the Godobes with whom the Toulouse-Lortrak was friendly. The artistic and artistic color of Paris gathered in the Salon of the Godebsk. In these works, poetry prevail. The composer turns to the poetized dance, fairy tale, the motives of antiquity, Comrade Ravel's melodic, avoids the introduction of the Pavana theme, it often occurs at stop-quarter, pentathic revolutions, rhythms are very active, polyrhythmic combinations, displacement of accents, complex sizes are characteristic.

In harmony, unusual chords are found for example, a “thorny” chord with unprepared detention, multi -sound chord complexes to the sound. The terrestrial structure includes side -sided tones, alterations are characterized by consonance with the mind. Archaic frets, frets of Spanish music are used. The orchestration is exquisite and shiny, with frequent SOLO, unusual effects of sound recovery, flagjolets and glissando, complex passages of string and wooden.

In general, interest in colorfulness, admiring the "beautiful moment" dominates. Despite the liberation from military service, he voluntarily entered the army and only after the serious diseases were demobilized in the spring of the year. This year, he composed his last piano cycle - the suite “The Tomb Cooper” - “Donation of respect not only to Cooper, but also to all French music of the XVIII century.” Dedicated to dead friends.

If earlier it developed in the line of impressionism, now impressionist features lose dominance, although they do not disappear without a trace.

Rael understood and repelled the bitterness of the war with its unheard of victims. His work evolves from the joyful perception of life to the greater drama of the hotel works “Waltz”, the 2nd piano concert. His style is changing, the composer himself defined this trend as "laconicism brought to the limit." New features appeared: - the desire for the distinctness of the melodic pattern and its predominance over the color; At the same time, long -term wide breathing melodies come to replace the brief motives.

A striking example is the theme of "Bolero". This manifested itself very vividly in the “Cooper Tomb”, in the first piano concert. Ravel was among the musicians who saw in Jazz a source of renewal of traditional forms. Works of the 2nd period of the piano-the cycle "Tomb Cooper", two piano concerts; vocal - “Madagascar songs”, “3 songs by Don Quixote”; Symphonic - choreographic.

Speaking about stylistic differences, works of the I-th and II periods, some general signs of the Rainel style should be distinguished: a tendency to relief thematism, in which folk sources are clearly felt; interest in folklore, especially Spanish; a huge role of dance elements; a tendency to the dance rhythm of a variety of genres, from Menuet to Foxtrot; The clarity of the musical shape.

To Ravel, unlike many other composers of the line of centuries, the criteria for classicality, the balance, the balance of the form, are quite applicable. Unlike Debussy, Ravel is quite loyal to traditional forms, in particular, to sonata, which he often uses; The skill of the orchestral letter "Virtuoosis of the orchestration".